Vending machine



A. LERNER VENDING MACHINE Feb. 3, 1959 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed April 5, 1957 a r mm my m m A. LERNER VENDING MACHINE Feb. 3, 1959 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed April 3, 1957 Lil/ll INVENTOR. i/be/"z Z emer Feb. 3, 1959 LERNER 2,872,069

VENDING MACHINE Filed April 5, 1957 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 I NVENTOR. 1 v A/be/Z Zeme/ Y VENDING MACHINE Albert Lerner, Forest Hills, N. Y. Application April 3, 1957, Serial No. 650,384 2 (Jlairns. (Cl. 221-85) This invention relates to the art of merchandising and more particularly to a miniature shopping center composed of a number of vending machines conveniently massed for operation and for delivery of articles of merchandise mounted on cards.

A principal object of the present invention is to provide equipment having a number of vending machines arranged in stacks in radial formation around a central delivery hopper serving all of the machines.

Another object of the invention is to provide equipment consisting of a number of vending machines arranged in compact stacked and radial formation, each machine having an endless series of carriers movably supported within a casing and capable of being selectively disposed in position for the discharge of their contents upon insertion of a coin and subsequent manipulation of the delivery control mechanism.

A further object of the invention is to provide a vending machine of this type wherein the articles to be vended are positively retained in their carrier supports until the delivery control mechanism has been properly actuated.

Another object of the invention is to provide a vending machine wherein the articles to be sold are mounted on cards held in upright position in View of the operator.

It is also proposed to provide equipment of this kind having a number of vending machines with a single discharge hopper with mechanism which will permit selective discharge into the hopper of any one of a series of different kinds of articles.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide equip ment of this kind which is compact, simple construction having a wide range of selectivity of articles vended thereby and which is highly efficient in operation.

For further comprehension of the invention and of the advantages and objects thereof, reference will be had to the accompanying drawings forming a material part of the disclosure, wherein Fig. l is a perspective view, partly diagrammatic, of a portion of merchandising equipment embodying the invention.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the equipment shown in Fig. l on a reduced scale.

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view taken on the plane of the line 3-3 of Fig. 2 on an enlarged scale.

Fig. 4 is a cross sectional view taken on the of the line 4-4 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken on the plane of the line 5-5 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a detail elevational view of the mechanism for advancing the card carrying devices.

Fig. 7 is a sectional view taken on the plane of the line 7-7 of Fig. 6.

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary perspective view of the top end of the hopper showing the members for fastening the casings to the hopper.

Fig. 9 is a sectional detail view of a fastening member.

Fig. 10 is a fragmentary perspective view of a fastening member.

plane 2,872,69 Patented Feb. 3, 1959 Fig. 11 is a fragmentary perspective view of the links of the lower chain.

Fig. 12 is a front view of a card with articles of merchandise thereon suitable for use with the vending machines of the invention.

Fig. 13 is a fragmentary top plan view of a modification of the invention.

Referring in detail to the drawings, the equipment contemplated by the present invention includes a central multisided upright tubular housing or hopper 15 of metal or any other suitable material. The hopper is formed with a central partition 16 forming various compartments 17 in the hopper. The bottom of the hopper flares outwardly and each compartment 17 leads to a curved portion 18 leading to a discharge or delivery outlet 19.

Around the hopper 15 a plurality of stacks of receptacles or casings constituting vending machines 20 are disposed. The housing or hopper 15 may be of any desired height and the receptacles are stacked to the top thereof.

The receptacles or casings constituting the vending machines 20 are each of similar construction and each is rectangular in shape with straight front and rear walls 21 and 22, respectively, side walls 23, 23 and a bottom wall 24 and is open at the top. The rear wall 22 is formed with an opening 25. A glass window 26 is provided in the center of the front wall 21. The receptacle or casing is sufficiently deep to receive and support a rectangu lar-shaped card, such as the card 27 shown in Fig. 12, in upright position. The card is formed of cardboard, pasteboard, plastic or other suitable material. Each card mounts a number of articles such as buttons 28, for example, or other articles which it is desired to sell.

At each side of the receptacle or casing, an upper endless chain 30 is trained around a pair of front and rear sprocket wheels 31 and 32, respectively, fixed on each end of a pair of front and rear shafts 33 and 34, respectively, journalled in the side Walls 23, 23 of the receptacle at the top thereof. A lower endless chain 35 is trained around a pair of front and rear sprocket wheel 36 and 37, respectively, fixed on each end of a pair of front and rear shafts 3S and 39, respectively, journalled in the side walls at the bottom thereof. The upper and lower shafts are in vertical alignment.

Each of the lower chains 35 is formed with a plurality of links 41), each link having a pair of closely spaced upright lugs 41, 41. A rod 44 extends across and is secured to each pair of opposed links 45 in the upper chains 30. The lugs 41, 41 and the rods 44- thereabove provide bearings for supporting the cards 27 in a vertical position, the bottom edge of the card being engaged between the individual lugs 41, 41 of the pairs of lugs, and the upper edge of the card being seated against the rod 44 thereabove.

The mechanism for moving the chains is manually operated and includes a lever arm 48 pivotally secured at one end to one of the upper shafts, the shaft 33, for example. The other end of the lever arm is pivotally fastened to one end of a link 49, by means of a pivot pin 48 the other end of the link being pivotally secured by means of a pivot pin 49 to a plunger 51 which projects through an opening 51 in the front wall 21 of the receptacle. The outer end of the plunger is provided with a finger piece 52 for manipulating the same.

A pawl 53 is pivotally mounted by means of pivot pin 53 on the lever arm 48 and its nose 54 is adapted to engage the teeth 55 of a disc 56 fastened to shaft 33 mounting the lever arm. A coil spring 57 having one end seated on a lug 58 projecting from the lever arm 48 and its other end impinging against a lug 59 projecting from the pawl 53 urges the pawl into engagement with the teeth of the disc 56.

When the plunger 59 is manually pushed in, the lever arm 48 swings inwardly around the shaft 33 and forces the pawl 53 against the teeth of the disc 56 thereby moving said disc and shaft 33 a predetermined distance. The distance the disc moves may be manually adjusted by means of a lever 60 carrying at one end an arcuateshaped plate 61 disposed below the periphery of the disc 56. The position of the front edge of the plate 61 relative to the lever arm 48 determines the length of the stroke of the disc and shaft 33. The lever 69 is manually swung to the desired position, and a pin 62 extending laterally from the front end of the lever is adapted to engage selectively in one opening 63 or another of a series of openings 63 in a fixed plate 64 secured to the adjacent Wall 23 of the receptacle.

The plunger 50 is normally held against movement by a latching bar 65 which extends across the top of the plunger adjacent the wall 21 of the receptacle and is provided with a knife edge 66 normally extending into a notch 67 formed in the upper periphery of the plunger. The latching bar is held in the notch by means of a compression spring 68 interposed between a lug 69,011 the wall 21 of the receptacle and impinging against the top of the latching bar.

Mechanism is provided for releasing the latching bar 65 and this mechanism is electrically actuated upon inserting a proper coin in a slot 70 formed in the front wall 21 of the receptacle. The weight of the coin moves a movable contact against a stationary contact in the ordinary manner (not shown) of an electrical circuit powered by electricity obtained through conductors and a plug 71 adapted to be plugged into a house supply or other source of electricity. A solenoid 72 is interposed in the circuit and when the circuit is closed by the coin the solenoid becomes energized and pulls down its armature 73 which in turn rocks a link 74, which pivots around pivot pin 74' thereby swinging the latching bar 65 out of the notch 67 of the plunger 56. The plunger is thus unlocked and inward manual pressure on the plunger will move the lever arm 43 as aforesaid. Movement of the lever arm 48 will move the disc 56 around one step. When the pressure is released from the plunger 50, a compression spring 75 having one end fixed to a bracket '75 on the front wall 21 of the receptacle and its other end fixed to a perforated lug 77 on the lever arm 43 retracts the lever arm to normal position.

The drive is brought from the upper shaft 34 to the lower shafts 3S and 39 by means of a chain 80 trained over a sprocket wheel 81 fixed on the upper shaft 34 and over a sprocket wheel 82 fixedly mounted on a stub shaft 33 journalled in a bearing 84 on the adjacent side wall 23 of the receptacle. A spur gear 35 is fastened to the outer end of the stub shaft 83 and rotates therewith. The gear 35 is in continuous mesh with a spur gear $6 on the lower shaft 39 whereby said lower shaft is rotated in the same direction as the upper shaft 34, so that the upper and lower chains move in the same direction simultaneously.

In carrying out the invention, a site is selected for selling the merchandise indoors, such as a store, or other structure, or for selling the merchandise outdoors such as at a fairground or in a lot or the like. The tubular housing or hopper i is mounted at a convenient place at such site in an upright position. Stacks of receptacles constituting vending machines 2%} are stacked around the hopper preferably to the height of the hopper or receptacle. The receptacles are secured in stacked relation by means of elongated headed bolts 9! passing through elongated tubular bearing members 91 extending along the inner surface of the side walls 23 of the receptacle from front to rear thereof. The bolts pass through holes in the rear walls 22 of the receptacles and are threaded into threaded holes 92 formed in the central hopper or housing 35. The hopper has a number of such holes so that the bolts may be placed in selected holes thereby providing means for using receptacles of dilferent sizes. Each vending machine 20 preferably contains a different article of merchandise for sale, the articles being viewed through the windows 26 in the front walls of the machines. The plurality of vending machines stacked in superposed relation with the stacks radiating from a central hopper afford a convenient view through the windows of a large variety of merchandise, and the variety of merchandise available provides convenient shopping for the customers.

A proper coin inserted in the slot 70 of the selected vending machine will close the circuit in the usual manner thereby energizing the solenoid 72 which releases the locking mechanism controlling actuation of the plunger 50. By simply manually pushing the plunger 50 inwardly, the chains will be moved one step a suflicient distance to carry the rearmost card 27 to the opening 25 of the receptacle. The bottom end of the card slips out of the studs or lugs 41, 41 on the links 40, of the lower chains 35, 35, and is deposited on a chute 94 extending through the aligned openings 25 in the rear wall 22 of the receptacle and the adjacent opening 95 of a series of openings formed in the hopper 15. Movement of the top end of the card is yieldingly retarded by a coil spring 96 having one end seated on the rear wall 22 of the receptacle and having its other end disposed in the path of movement of the top end of the card. The card falls by gravity into the hopper 15 and is guided downwardly therethrough by the wall of the compartment 17 to the delivery or discharge outlet 19 formed in the bottom outer end of the compartment of the hopper, where it may be recovered by the customer.

The modification of the invention shown in Fig. 13 differs from the form of invention shown in Figs. 1-12 in that the central hopper or housing 15 is substantially rectangular in shape. The vending machines 26' are juxtaposed to each other on the sides of the hopper and are radially arranged and spaced at the ends thereof. In all other respects, it is the same as the form of Figs. l-12.

While the preferred embodiments of the invention have been illustrated and described, changes in details of construction might be made without departing from the principle of the invention and it is desired to be limited only by the state of the prior art and the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A vending machine comprising in combination a receptacle including a rear wall with an opening therein, upper and lower shafts journalled in the receptacle, sprockets secured to the ends of the shafts at the sides of the receptacle, endless chains trained around the sprockets on the upper shafts, endless chains trained around the shafts on the lower shafts, means of connection between the upper and lower shafts, the links of the lower chains having closely spaced upright lugs, the links of the upper chains having transverse rods, cards mounting articles of merchandise supported in upright position between said chains with the bottom ends thereof in the space between said lugs and the upper ends thereof resting against said rods, means for turning one of said shafts including a toothed disc on said one shaft, a manually operated plunger, means of connection between the plunger and said disc including a lever arm connected at one end to Said one shaft, linkage between the other end of the lever arm and plunger, a pawl pivotally mounted on the lever arm and yieldingly pressing against the teeth on said disc.

2. A vending machine comprising in combination a receptacle including a rear wall with an opening therein, upper and lower shafts journalled in the receptacle, sprockets secured to the ends of the shafts at the sides of the receptacle, endless chains trained around the sprockets on the upper shafts, endless chains trained around the sprockets on the lower shafts, means of connection between the upper and lower shafts, the links of the lower chains having closely spaced upright lugs, the links of the upper chains having transverse rods, cards mounting articles of merchandise supported in upright position between said chains With the bottom ends thereof in the space between said lugs and the upper ends thereof resting against said rods, means for turning one of said shafts including a toothed disc on said one shaft, a manually operated plunger, means of. connection between the plunger and said disc including a lever arm connected at one end to said one shaft, linkage between the other end of the lever arm and plunger, a pawl pivotally mounted on the lever arm and yieldingly pressing against the teeth of said disc, and means for adjusting the throw of said disc including a lever on said one shaft, an arcuate plate mounted on the end of said latter lever and disposed below the periphery of the disc and closely adjacent thereto between the pawl and the periphery of the disc, a fixed plate on the receptacle adjacent the disc, said plate having a series of spaced holes therein. and a pin on the free end of the last-named lever adapted to be inserted into one of said holes for adjusting the tion of the arcuate plate.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Cobb Mar. 25, Hunter Feb. 23, Miller Nov. 7, Porter June 20, Gilbert Aug. 14, Stomberg J an. 9, Cutler Jan. 1, Thompson Feb. 5, Peterson July 30, Macke June 24, Clausen Feb. 27, Riise Sept. 23,

FOREIGN PATENTS Germany Aug. 27,

posi- 

